DIY and WINE.

I've been wanting to start a blog about all my home renovation projects for a long time. It took me a while to realize what I do is interesting to a lot of people. I try to save as much money as I can by DIY'ing (Is that a word?) as much as possible. I'm a crafty person, and am learning to be a handy-woman too. With those skills together, I can really tackle a lot of projects around the house by myself. I like to do a lot of woodworking/ carpentry projects, and have learned through the renovation process to do basic plumbing. Some things, like major structural projects, or adding a window, I defer to the experts for. Unfortunately it's not as easy as cutting and pasting a new window into a wall and I feel like I am not the best person for the task.

Let me start out by saying, my life is a little crazy. I currently have four dogs and three cats, and would like to have goats and chickens one day- but one thing at a time! While all those animals don't live in the house, they do all require time, money, and care. I also run an AIRBNB room out of my house, do part-time doggie daycare, and I make and sell craft decor around the holidays. There is not much sleep happening in this house. I have amazing support through my family when I need it, but I don't have "help" for the day to day. Some days it is a struggle working at least full time, taking care of all my animals, keeping the house clean, and still maintaining a life with my friends and family. However, I have always been an animal lover and they are one of the big things that help keep me sane through this roller coaster that is home renovations. They do drive me crazy sometimes- like tonight when one of the dogs chewed up the penny table it took me THREE MONTHS to make. *chugs wine*- but I love them.

For blog post numero uno...let me just say - it is NOT as easy as Chip and Joanna make it look. Yes, they have cut-scenes, a whole film and demo crew (YEAH DEMO-DAY!), and I'm sure there is a lot of stress and mishaps that happen behind the scenes that we are not privy to. However, their finished homes always look so amazing and I am always so filled with awe and envy, and it always looks SO EASY.

GUYS.

IT IS NOT EASY.

That being said...I an not Chip or Joanna (if only). I am working up to having a nice little farm like they do (mom calls me Old McLisa), but the bottom line is- everything is a lot of work and a lot of money. I can't do everything at once, as tempting as it is. If I want goats this year that probably means the shiplap in the dining room won't get done until next year. Getting chickens means the sink in the upstairs bathroom won't get replaced until next spring. And let's be honest...we still gotta be able to work the wine into the budget. Priorities.

So many friends and family ask "So, what project are you working on now?" and it's never an easy answer. There is no one project I am working on, because one project is held up by five other projects, which are held up by one huge project that costs $10k that I couldn't possibly just DIY and doesn't seem like I can afford. Much as I would love to be able to say, "Oh, I’m working on the laundry room right now. Just a little shiplap, eggshell paint and WASH-DRY-REPEAT signs and it's ready to go!" Um...no. My house was built in 1789. That's awesome in some ways, but not in the sense where you will have straight walls and doors that shut properly. Doing the laundry room not only involves pouring self-leveler to level the wonky floor, laying backer board, thin-set, tile, covering the random holes in the walls prior to adding shiplap, demoing the weird little closet, adding a door, but also running new plumbing/electric to the new laundry room. No. Doing the laundry room also means re-working all the OLD cast iron plumbing leading up to the current washer, punching a hole through the foundation to properly vent the main drain pipe for the house, and redoing all the drain pipes for the water softener and filtration system to drain into the septic and not a temporary holding tank in the basement (there are no drains in the basement). Tired reading that? Yeah...that's why it isn't done yet.

The bottom line? This whole home renovation thing can get overwhelming very quickly when you're on a budget and can't seem to stop collecting animals. Maybe the animal part isn't your problem...but if you're working on home renovations and feel overwhelmed you are not alone! The important thing is to take it one tiny little baby step at a time, and understand that unless you have $200k set aside it isn't going to happen overnight.

Wouldn't change a thing, but a million dollars sure wouldn't hurt.

Getting through renovations one glass at a time.